


The Perfect Proposal

by unpocowboys



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Dating, F/M, Marriage Proposal, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 14:17:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20583881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unpocowboys/pseuds/unpocowboys
Summary: Take a journey with Kieran and Mary-Beth as you watch their relationship blossom into an eventual proposal.





	The Perfect Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a milder, SFW love story between Kieran and Mary-Beth while I work on a sequel to "The Perfect Night"! Starts at their first interaction and escalates from there. Off course from canon and follows the storyline/universe of my other work "The Perfect Night" for reference.

Kieran loved Mary-Beth, even more than horses. Ever since she gave him a drink of water when he was held captive, he was smitten with her. 

When he was finally released, he had two goals, the first being to earn the gang's trust. The second was to at least try to win over Mary-Beth's affections. Even if he got shot down, talking to her for even a moment felt like his soul had been saved. 

Kieran remembered when he first dared to saunter over to Mary-Beth as she was reading. 

"What're you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she snapped back.

"It looks like you're reading," he replied.

"And I am, so why do you ask?" she snarled.

"Just...makin' conversation..." Kieran awkwardly replied. He continued to sit on the crate near her tent, wondering if he should apologize. He should have known that interrupting her during her downtime was a bad idea. He remembered how tired he got after a long day's work, and regretted taking her recovery time. Kieran placed his hands on the crate and was about to make an exit when he heard her softly reply to him.

"I'm sorry," she said sweetly. "I was being catty, I don't know why."

Kieran's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't stop himself in time before he blurted out, "You're very purdy. I-I don't mean to be forward or nothin', but ya' are."

Mary-Beth gave a small, sympathetic smile. "You're sweet," she began. Kieran's eyes lit up in anticipation, wondering what she would say next. "Strange, and...horrible and an O'Driscoll. But....sweet."

That wasn't the reaction he was hoping for by a long shot. He hissed under his breath, abruptly standing from the crate, his fist balled up in frustration.

"I ain't an O'Driscoll, miss!" Kieran declared before stomping away.

"Oh, okay, whatever you say," she called back. Mary-Beth thought it was strange that he didn't realize that he was clearly a member of the O'Driscolls. He wore a coat like one, didn't bathe like one, and was unkempt like one, too. 

But she supposed there were many things that O'Driscolls did that he didn't. For one thing, he seemed awfully skittish and soft-spoken for a person who was supposed to be a hardened criminal. All he did was brush the horses. Instead of mumbling curses and obscenities under his breath like a rabid animal when she first approached the tree, he seemed desperate and weak, like a stray puppy. 

Mary-Beth felt a little bad for calling him horrible and strange. She was using words that fit Dutch's description of Colm, but not ones that truly fit Kieran. The next time he talked to her—if he ever talked to her again— she vowed to be kinder and treat him like another human as opposed to a creature. 

Meanwhile, Kieran had retreated to the horses, trying to recover to the blow he recieved. It hurt to hear Mary-Beth call him strange and horrible, but the worst of those three was an O'Driscoll. He hated everything Colm stood for and would rather be called a monster than anything to do with Colm. 

Though Kieran lacked a lot of confidence, he had a considerable amount of determination. If he couldn't prove his worthiness to the camp, he would at least prove it to her. Thankfully for the both of them, Kieran did try his luck again one day, plopping on the same crate to see if he could get another moment with the prettiest outlaw he'd ever seen. 

"Still reading?" he asked nervously. 

Mary-Beth looked up at him, not saying a word. She gently closed the book and put it on the carpet in front of her. "I've taken a break. But yes, I plan to keep reading."

Kieran was getting nervous again, but managed to choke out, "Is it...fun?"

Mary-Beth lit up at the question. She grinned and sighed in contentment. "It's amazing. It's the reason worth living. It's the only thing that makes me happy."

Kieran was amused by her answer. "So, the only thing that makes you happy is being in your head somewhere else?"

They both laughed together. Kieran's mind leaped to them laughing together on their own ranch with her hand in his. 

"I suppose I never quite thought of it like that." she said, still smiling. "You never read?"

Kieran was caught off guard by the question. He didn't think he'd get this far, but didn't want to lose the chance he had to impress her. Even so, he couldn't fake a love of reading since he couldn'tdo it. "No...I never fancied it."

"But you can?"

"I could. If...I chose to. I just...haven't chosen to..." Kieran said, hoping she wouldn't catch on to the fact that he was illiterate. His mammy and pappy never got the chance to teach him before they died and he was a laborer ever since. 

Mary-Beth saw right through his charade and turned it into a romantic moment to catch him off guard. 

"Maybe one of us could teach you..." she said lightly, a hint of flirtatiousness in her voice. 

Kieran was a dense man, but this time, he caught her drift. He gave a nod as she held his eyesight. Kieran got up and looked like he was going to say something, but then twirled back around. He did it again, before giving a light, impressed chuckle. What a knockout of a woman. 

He figured she meant it solely as a way to flirt with him, not as a serious offer. But Mary-Beth came to him one day, a book in her hand. "You ready?"

Kieran looked up from the saddle he was polishing. "Ready for what, Miss?"

"Your reading lessons! Don't tell me you're already chickening out" she giggled.

"I ain't no chicken, I could read that whole book by the end of the day if I wanted to," said Kieran, chest puffing out with some confidence. 

"Well, come on then," she gestured to the table where the gang normally played dominoes, but everyone who would normally be playing was off doing chores or in town. Kieran took a seat and Mary-Beth did the same. "I know you said you could read this whole thing by the end of the day, but I don't think I'm that good of a teacher quite yet," she said opening a random page in her book. She paused and looked up at him, looking like she wanted to say something. 

"We startin' yet?" asked Kieran, playfully impatient.

"Yes, in a moment." she smiled at her student. Mary-Beth took in a breath. "Hey, I'm real sorry for snapping at you that day," she murmured. 

Kieran played dumb. He didn't want to make her feel awkward. "What day? I don't remember that."

Mary-Beth's eyes looked warmly at him. "You're sweet for pretending not to remember, but you don't have to. I shouldn't have treated you the way the others already do. You get that enough." She took a moment before resuming her apology. "I was already kind of irritated from Dutch and Micah makin' passes at me while I was tryin' to read. Third time's the charm, I guess."

"More like third time's the harm," Kieran joked. Mary-Beth laughed louder than either of them expected. She didn't expect him to be so charming and funny. 

"Do you forgive me?" she asked. 

Kieran glowed. "I forgave you before you even said it, Miss."

"Mary-Beth." she corrected him. "You can call me Mary-Beth."

"Alright Miss Mary-Beth," he halfway agreed. 

"Close enough," she accepted. Mary-Beth looked down at her book. It might have been a little too advanced for Kieran and probably not something he would enjoy. It was a copy of _Jane Eyre_, one of her favorite romance novels. If he didn't even know letters, he wouldn't even make it through the first sentence, let alone the first chapter. "Do you know any of the alphabet at all?"

Kieran nodded and recited it to her. "My mammy and pappy taught me that much, but words and sentences ain't nothin' I can do."

Mary-Beth could work with that. She pointed to the words 'was' and 'no' in the first sentence. "These are some pretty good words to start with." She pushed the book towards Kieran. "Give them a try."

Kieran squinted at them and gave them a shot. "Ways new," he replied. 

"Not quite. It's pronounced 'wuz noh'," she gently corrected him. He repeated her words. They continued until he was able to recite the first sentence. 

"It's gonna take a lot of time to read this whole thing," he said. 

Mary-Beth raised an eyebrow. "You want me to teach you with something shorter?"

Kieran panicked. "N-no Miss Mary-Beth! I just don't want you to get tired of me stumblin' through all these new words."

Mary-Beth smiled at him. "Well how about this: you read some of it, and I'll read some of it to you. That way you can learn more words as we go along."

Kieran perked up at the suggestion. "I think that's a fine idea."

"Good," she said. "But you'll need to come over on this side so you can see the words, too."

Kieran gulped, his pulse racing. "A-alrighty then." He stood up and made his way next to her. He was careful not to get too close, but the proximity was painful. Kieran smelled Mary-Beth's perfume and nearly fell over from intoxication. She began reading the rest of the opening chapter, leaving it on the cliffhanger of Jane being locked in the Red Room. 

"They might treat her worse than the gang treats me," Kieran concluded. "This book ain't gonna be depressing, is it?"

Mary-Beth shook her head. "No, it gets better. But I don't know if you'll like it. It's a romantic book, one of my favorites." 

"Well if you like it, then I can still give it a try." said Kieran. 

So for many weeks, Mary-Beth went through _Jane Eyre_ with Kieran. He couldn't help but notice how she swooned at the arrival of the mysterious, rich male character Rochester. Kieran was hopeful about his chances with her when he noticed that Rochester was a pretty ugly guy. 

But even with their lessons and light flirting, it took a long time for the relationship to grow into a truly romantic one. If it hadn't of been for Kieran nearly getting kidnapped the night of Jack's party, then all of their milestones may not have happened. Mary-Beth had found him in the woods before the O'Driscolls could and guided his drunken figure back to camp. He heavily implied his interest in her with liquid courage, and that was as close to being asked out as Mary-Beth was going to get. 

Their first date was by his favorite fishing spot, just like he said it would be on that drunken night. Kieran brought his bait and tackle and Mary-Beth brought along _Jane Eyre_. It was on the last few chapters and Mary-Beth wanted to finish it with him today. 

Kieran was excited to show her all about his other favorite thing in life. He secretly hoped that she would find his casting abilities attractive. 

"Ya' gotta make sure you cast it out far enough to give ya' enough wiggle room to find a good fish," he demonstrated. Mary-Beth nodded. She figured she wouldn't really like fishing, but she was here for the same reason Kieran sat through_ Jane Eyre_ with her for all this time, so this was a small price to pay. But even though she was getting impatient, she wanted to drag out the flirting a little longer, hoping that he'd make another move on her that wasn't induced by alcohol. 

"I think I'm still having some trouble understanding," she hinted. "Maybe you need to show me."

Kieran's cheeks blossomed into pink. "O-of course." He handed her the pole, then slipped behind her. "May I?" he asked before grabbing her hands to guide her. She obliged, returning his blushing with some of her own. Kieran refrained from brushing his thumbs over her soft skin, vowing to be a gentleman. "Now, here's what you need to do..."

He guided her for the next few moments, helping her to cast the line out far enough. "Now, we wait." 

He removed his hands from her arms to let her hold on to the rod by herself. Kieran rested his hands on her hips. "Just keeping you steady, Miss." he whispered. Mary-Beth shuddered against his touch. Soon, the fishing line did the same. 

"Reel it in, now!" he encouraged her. Mary-Beth tried pulling it back in, but whatever had gotten on the line was determined to get away. She yanked a little too hard and the line snapped, causing her to fall back on Kieran. They both tumbled to the ground, Mary-Beth landing on top of Kieran. 

"Are you alright?!" Kieran asked, afraid she had gotten hurt. It was only after she confirmed that he had softened the blow that he realized she had landed on him. She gazed down at him and he looked back up at her. He was redder than a beet. Mary-Beth looked down at his lips, tempted to make the first move, but didn't want to take advantage of how vulnerable of a position he was in. 

"Is there...something you see that you like, Kieran?" said Mary-Beth suggestively. 

"Quite a few," he managed to respond. "But I guess I'll start with one."

His hands reached up to tenderly pull her face down to meet his. Kieran pushed his lips to meet hers, and she sank into his. She had spent a long time wondering what his beard felt like, and she was pleasantly surprised that it was softer than it looked. His patchy mustache gently brushed against the top of her mouth. The kiss started off very sweet and chaste, but Mary-Beth had read many romance novels and her pent-up desires got the best of her. Her tongue parted his lips and she tasted him. Kieran groaned in appreciation, rubbing her back with one hand and holding on to her arm with the other. Mary-Beth's hands wandered to the buttons on his shirt. She slyly undid the top two of them and brushed her hands over his exposed chest. Her other hand played with strands of his dark hair. 

She took breaks to nibble his ear and to leave pecks on his red-stained cheeks. He returned her affections by leaving sensual kisses down her neck, breathing her in. He wanted so badly to caress the breasts that were pressed against his exposed chest, but didn't want to push further than he should. While Kieran was worried about coming off as a brutish, selfish man just from thinking of her in that way, Mary-Beth was deeply satisfied by what she felt growing in his trousers. She gently pushed against it. He jolted, accidentally making her tumble off. "I'm so sorry," he trembled. 

"It's okay, Kieran. What's wrong?" 

Kieran was ashamed of his conduct. "I wasn't very proper with you."

Mary-Beth snorted, but felt honored that he was so considerate of her. "Well, maybe not, but I enjoyed it." She winked at him and he thought he would die right on the shore. 

"I still want to be a gentleman with you, though." he insisted, though reluctantly. "You deserve it." 

Though Mary-Beth wanted to keep pushing him to abandon his sensibilities and to take her right there on the shore, she respected his reasons. "There you are being sweet again," she said. "Just don't make me wait too long, Mr. Duffy," she smirked. 

His eyes lit up from shock to pleasure. "I reckon I won't be able to," he replied with a seductive grin. 

Before she accidentally coerced him into dumping his gentlemanly values, Mary-Beth's attention turned to the book resting on a rock."Would you like to finish _Jane Eyre_ with me?" she suggested. He agreed, and they went to find a shady spot under a tree. Mary-Beth had Kieran hold one side as she held the other. She leaned on his shoulder and his arm slid around her waist. 

"'Reader, I married him'," she sighed, pausing the story. 

"Is that the end?" Kieran asked. 

"No, sorry, I just love that line." Her mind traveled to familiar places. She had read _Jane Eyre_ many times, but always relished in that particular line. Mary-Beth looked up at Kieran, eyes filled with love. Though he knew the love was from the book, he would kill to have her truly look at him that way. 

Maybe that's why he suddenly decided a few weeks later to propose to her. It was sudden, yet Kieran felt like he had known Mary-Beth for many years. The problem was, he didn't have the money for a ring. He barely had any money at all. Riding with the Van Der Linde gang meant that he was taken care of just by taking care of their horses, but it didn't pay anything other than stew from Pearson and for the safety of his testicles. He could get a job in town somewhere. Colm was dead, so he didn't have to worry about being tortured by the O'Driscolls any longer, but he still wasn't as savvy about interacting with the outside world as he could be. Plus, Mary-Beth would notice if he went out to town more often and would want to know what was going on. He sighed, wondering if he'd ever be able to ask the girl he loved to start a life with him.

"Lookin' awful down, Duffy," said Arthur as he came up behind Kieran. Kieran jumped and Arthur chuckled. 

"Oh very funny, Arthur," he growled.

"Oh lighten up, Kieran," replied Arthur, still amused by how easy it was to get him riled up. "Now, why you so pitiful today? Ya' got yer girl and we finally stopped calling you one of Colm's boys for the most part."

Kieran looked up at Arthur and nodded. "I know, I'm so grateful for all of that. But Mary-Beth needs more than a boy around this camp. She needs a man."

Arthur looked at him, confused. "You uh...planning to go get her one of those?" 

"No, Arthur, I mean I want to ask her to be my wife."

"Oh." replied Arthur. Marriage was a sore spot for Arthur, but he did what he could to help others make better choices than he did. And though he hated to admit it, he was a sucker for helping poor souls who needed assistance. 

"You got a ring?" 

"Pff, with what money?" said Kieran defeatedly. "Where would I even get enough for a ring that's even a fraction decent for Mary-Beth?"

"How 'bout this," began Arthur. "You help me clean up and train the wild horses I find, and part of the profit I make from selling them is yours."

Kieran couldn't believe his ears. Getting paid to do what he'd already gladly do for free? It was a dream come true. He readily agreed. 

Getting the money still proved to be a difficult task. Because Arthur got them from the wild, the stables gave him less than what the horses were truly worth. It at least gave him plenty of time to court Mary-Beth, taking her out to the shore to read new books and actually catch a fish. He learned more and more about her romantic fantasies and tried emulating the scenarios she imagined in her pretty head. From surprising her with flowers to taking walks in the woods, he would do all he could to give her everything she deserved. 

When he had finally earned enough to go into town to get a ring, he asked Arthur to come with him. Before they headed out, he heard Mary-Beth calling for him.

"Kieran, where are you going?" 

"I'm just heading out on some horse business with Arthur," he lied, which he hated to do to her, but it was for a good reason. 

"Can I come with you?" she asked sweetly. 

"No!" he practically shouted, startling her. "I mean, I would love for you to, but these men can get real gruff. Maybe next time."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

That was a close one. When he and Arthur arrived into Saint Denis, they tracked down the fine jeweler and headed in. 

"What brings you gentlemen in today?" asked the clerk. 

"I'm looking for a ring. An engagement ring." said Kieran. 

"Well, you've come to the right place." The clerk gestured to one particular counter. There was quite a mixture of different rings and Kieran had no idea which one would suit Mary-Beth. Some were silver, gold, rose-gold, you name it. Arthur saw how overwhelmed Kieran was becoming, and pointed to one in particular. 

"Let's see what that one looks like," he suggested. 

"Y-yeah, that looks good." stammered Kieran. The clerk pulled it out of the case, handing it to Kieran. It was a gold band with a simple diamond in the middle. Classy, but not too overwhelming. It looked perfect. "How much?"

"$1,300." the clerk responded. Kieran gasped and nearly dropped the ring before Arthur caught it. The clerk chuckled. "Not the first time we've done that to a man. This one's stone is 5 carats, so it's on the pricier side. What is your budget?"

Arthur felt Kieran's pain. The ring he bought for Mary was steep in price as well. He would give it to Kieran if he wasn't still holding out hope that she would return to him one day. 

"I got $200." said Kieran, looking down about. The clerk gave him a sympathetic look. It wasn't the first time a young, lovesick, but broke man walked through his doors.

"I can assure you we will find something that is in the range you're looking for." He pulled out three rings with considerably smaller diamonds. Kieran pointed at one with gold-plating. Before he could ask, the clerk responded with "$185." 

Kieran nodded. "I think that'll have to do." 

The clerk smiled. "Excellent, I'll get this wrapped for you." 

Arthur noticed that Kieran looked down. He knew it was because he expected to be able to get a better ring. "She'll love it," said Arthur. 

"I hope to God she does..." sighed Kieran. 

Once it was paid, Kieran and Arthur headed back towards camp just before the sun had set. They hitched their horses right before Mary-Beth popped into view. 

"Did you boys get done what needed to get done?" she asked. 

"Sure did," said Arthur. Kieran nodded and smiled at her. Mary-Beth came up to hug him. Kieran returned the hug, hoping she wouldn't feel the ring box in his pocket. 

"Is that a sugar cube in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?" she snickered. 

"Both." he chuckled back, relieved that the only two things she could come up with were sugar cubes and his...excitement. 

He wanted to wait a few more days before popping the question. He had to come up with a clever way to propose to her. But nothing was coming to him. It wasn't until he saw her once again reading _Jane Eyre_ that it hit him. Kieran was proud of how clever of an idea it was. 

"Let's go to our spot," he suggested. Mary-Beth eagerly followed him. 

They sat together under a tree and admired the way the sunlight hit the water. He unfolded a piece of paper that he had tucked in his pocket and handed it to Mary-Beth. "You've taught me a lot these past months, and I wanted to show you what I've learned." 

Mary-Beth looked down at the paper. Kieran had taken inspiration from a line that was used by Mr. Rochester and tried memorizing it. Kieran spelled it out in his own way: 

“I ask yew to pass threw lyfe at mi syde—to bee mi seckon self, and best erthlee cumpanyon.”

Mary-Beth seemed elated. Kieran was about to grab the ring when she said, "I'm so proud of you!" 

Uh oh. She didn't get what he was trying to do at all. Mary-Beth just thought he was trying to show her what he learned, which was only partially true. 

"Here, we can start fishing as your reward for doing a great job," she said, standing up to move towards the water. Kieran followed her, wondering if he should just wait for another day to propose, think of something more obvious and extravagant. Mary-Beth looked back at him, her curls shining against her shoulder. 

No. There was no way he could wait any longer. He stepped a little closer towards her. 

"Mary-Beth Gaskill," said Kieran, his voice shaking and his hands desperately reaching for the ring in his pocket. She turned to face him. He nearly collapsed to the ground when he went to get down on one knee. Kieran finally balanced himself, fishing out the ring. He held it tightly in his fingers, holding it up to Mary-Beth and the sunlight, hoping it would make the less-than-perfect gemstone glitter. 

For some reason, "Will you marry me?" wouldn't come out. He tried a variety of things. 

"Will you...? Could you see yourself...? I got this because I love you and I...would you want to be a Mrs. Duffy?"

Mary-Beth stared at him in shock, not saying a word. Kieran's stomach dropped and his heart beat uncontrollably. He should have known the ring wasn't good enough. 

"Y-ya don't gotta say yes," he stammered. "I know this ring ain't much to look at, and I promise I'll get you one that's more deservin' of ya' if that's what—"

"Yes." Mary-Beth barely squeaked out. 

"Yes to the new ring? You've got i—"

"No!" she shouted without meaning to, startling Kieran enough to almost drop the ring. "I mean, I'll marry you."

It took Kieran a moment to process what she said to him. "You'll...marry me?"

Mary-Beth's shocked expression turned into a radiant smile. She nodded vigorously to the point where Kieran thought her head would fall off. Mary-Beth could hardly contain her "Yes!" as she jumped down at him, wrapping him in a hug. They both fell over, though Kieran still grasped the ring tightly in his hand. Mary-Beth kissed him passionately, grasping his face. Kieran smiled into her kiss, and when she pulled away, he grabbed her hand.

"I believe this belongs to you, Miss Gaskill." Kieran slid the ring on her finger. She couldn't stop staring at it, only taking breaks to smother him in kisses. 

"I think you mean Mrs. Duffy," she beamed at him. 

His heart swelled. He loved the sound of that. 


End file.
